We landed in Christchurch nearly 2 weeks after the earthquake had hit so the city was completely out of bounds. We had seen a guesthouse on the internet near to the airport, close enough for us to pick up our Jucy camper 2 days later. However, the add failed to say crazy cat lady and spare back bedroom with cat hairs in the bed. We also felt a few aftershocks which was pretty scary. Once we picked up the camper we drove straight to Mount Cook National Park. It was so beautiful and the sun was out. Pretty impressed that we managed to do 4 different hikes around the mountain and icebergs. Definitely a must do plus the campground was only $12 a night for both of us, in the perfect location to it all but only one shower for the whole complex. What a bummer!

Next we went to Milford Sound for a relaxing boat trip and we even saw wild dolphins and seals. We were lucky to get clear weather in the afternoon and the Sounds looked very mystical. After a night parked up on the road and a brief visit to Te Anau we headed to Queenstown. The scenery was awesome which made this journey and town so beautiful. We could have spent forever here so we made the most of it sitting around the lake with a cold beer and a big smile. Made all the difference staying in the Top 10 campsite just around the corner. Because of only having a month in New Zealand and spending 2 weeks on both islands, theres always something to do, every few days I'm saying wow - it is an amazing country and caters for all.

The best thing up to now was no doubt climbing the Franz Josef Glacier. I've never seen anything quite like it, it was tiring and bloody hard work but going through the ice holes and caves and getting all geared up was so exciting. After that we went to Hanmer Springs, a nice little alpine town for a much needed soak in the thermal pools.

Next was Kaikoura to check out the whale watching and wild dolphins. It was so amazing, we saw 4 sperm whales and hundreds of joyful dolphins. Plus on the drive out at Ohau Point we saw hundreds of seals on the rocks. This was a top place and the scenery of the mountains going into the sea whilst eating fish & chips was great. This is the life.

Finally we managed to drive over to the Abel Tasman National Park. Once again we were lucky with the weather and enjoyed a short hike before eating lunch on the beach. The sun, sea and sand was gorgeous and as nice as anywhere we've been. NZ isn't well known for its beaches but this area is great. We then went on to Picton for the night before catching the ferry over to the North Island. We said we'll definitely return to the South Island - Great destination!